Welcome to Content Planning 101!
I’m guilty of thinking “this is easy, everyone is already doing this…” when it comes to sharing content and content planning tips, but in reality, I still get questions all the time about how to put systems in place around your content, how to batch, and what apps to use to do it. So today I’m breaking it all down and sharing a few simple steps that can make your life easier when it comes to sharing content!
I hate to say it, but you have to be organized to plan out content. Yes, sometimes you can just pick a photo and post it, but I promise your life will be easier if you spend a little time upfront to get organized for the weeks or month ahead.
We all love posting on social media (or at least, sometimes we do). There are a ton of benefits and it’s one of the best ways we have to reach our audience or community with updates and information, whether it’s a new outfit or a product sale. Another one of my favorite ways to communicate with you audience is via a newsletter or email list. If you need help with that, definitely go back and listen to Episode 15 about how to grow your audience with a newsletter. We’ll stick to talking specifically about social media content for today.
Let’s streamline your content!
First, you have to think about: what kind of content are you sharing?
Is it for a personal blog, makeup youtube channel, your photography business…what do you need to share?
Photo or video, graphics, or a mix of a few different types?
As you’re getting organized, if you’ve never done this before, definitely write it down! it helps to visualize what you need.
If you’re a blogger with multiple topics, think about how much of each type of content you need on a weekly or monthly basis. Outfits, makeup, home decor, recipes, write it all down to help you plan.
Next, think about how often you want to share content and types of content.
Ae you posting everyday? Great. Are you posting one blog post per week and you need supporting photos for social media? Great. Let’s say you need one video and 5 photos per week.
This is where is helps to have a content calendar. You’ve heard this term before but it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler the better!
To start out, i recommend a monthly calendar on one single sheet of paper and a PENCIL. Let me reiterate, PENCIL! YOU WILL WANT MAKE EDITS AS YOU GO ALONG.
Monthly calendar helps visualize what you need to post. Add in any vacations, special dates, dinners or anything else you have going on because those things can help you map out when you want to share content.
Next, add in any sponsored content you have coming up or any retailer sales or events that you want to cover on your channel. This will give you an idea of what you need and when. I need 2 outfit photos and 1 recipe photo, plus 1 Dallas photo, and one makeup/skincare photo every week.
Now that you know what you need, how do you create it?
BATCHING! Batching is a major key to success when it comes to creating content. Instead of having to shoot one thing or one photo every single day so you have content, you plan ahead and shoot multiple items of the same type at the same time.
For example, if you know you need 2 outfits per week, plan one photoshoot every 2 weeks and shoot 4 looks at one time, that way you have photos ready to go for the next two weeks and some extra photos for stories, etc.
If you want to share 1 recipe a week, think about scheduling one photoshoot per month where you have cooked all four recipes and can show the steps and finished product of each one.
Reels is especially helpful to batch - anything where you might have a special tripod or camera/lighting setup, you should batch to save time on setup/teardown.
Some of you have heard so much about batching but have never sat down to get organized and actually try it! This is your sign to make a plan and batch!
So now that you have your content, how do you choose when and where to share it.
This is where your content calendar comes in to save the day!
I’m sure many of you already do this, but I still meet bloggers regularly who are not using a planning app. There are quite a few out there to choose from, and I highly recommend using one. Some have more bells and whistles and some are basic and free. I use Planoly, but Preview and Plann are two great ones that are free if you’re just starting out.
Choose one that is user-friendly and spend some time playing with the app and learning how to use it.
Schedule out a week or two of content in advance. This goes back to using your content calendar - the app just helps you map it out on your phone so your content is ready to post. Some days are flexible and you can post what you feel like, but it’s a great guide to use to show you what you have coming up.
For example, maybe you have a sponsored food post coming up on Friday so you don’t want to post food content the day before. It all depends how you want to share your content. A calendar and planning app help you map things out to avoid any potential content clashes.
Of course, things are fluid and sometimes you’ll have to move things around if a deadline gets pushed back, but at least you’ll be able to see clearly, “what are the photos I have available to post instead?” and you’ll be able to adjust in a smart way, versus having to scroll through your thousands of photos on your phone to find something or skip posting that day.
All in all, yes this takes a little more work up front, but it saves you time and energy each day when you’re posting, and as you grow, it’s great to have a system in place to keep track of sponsored content deadlines or important post dates.
Give this system a try and let me know how it works for you! I hope this was helpful for you and we’ll see you next Wednesday!
